Wrench.



Y. M. BLEDSDE.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT 5, 1916.

1,227,372. Patented May 22,1917.

YANCY M. BLEDSOE, OF BOINI-IAM, TEXAS.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Application filed October 6, 1916. Serial No. 124,174.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, YANCY M. BLEDSOE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bonham, in the county of Fannin and State of Texas, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in wrenches or the like, and theprimary object of the invention is to provide a wrench or like articlesusceptible to adjustment to two positions to lock the same in either ofits adjusted positions.

In a certain class of wrenches or the like one of the members thereof isprovided with an outwardly extending headed stud, the other member isprovided with an elongated substantially heartshaped slot through whichthe stud passes, and whereby a movement of the member provided with theslot angularly with relation to the member provided with the stud willpermit of the stud being provided with either of the depressions in theheart-shaped slot, thus adjusting the aws.

With this construction of wrenches no means are provided for locking thestud in either of the depressions provided by the slot and it maytherefore be considered the primary object of the present invention toprovide a simple, cheap but thoroughly effective means whereby one ofthe members of a wrench or the like may be easily and quickly adjustedwith relation to the other member of the wrench and effectivelysustained in its adjusted position.

It is a further object of the invention to produce a wrench or the likecomprising two members each including a jaw and a handle, one of themembers having a stud which passes through an elongated slot in theother member, a plate pivotally secured to the stud, th said platehaving an elongated heart-shaped slot, or a slot provided with twocompartments through which passes a stud upon the movable member of thewrench, a plate frictionally engaging with the member upon which it ispivoted, whereby the same may be brought to engage with the stud to lockthe same in either of the compartments provided in the slot on the saidplate and thus lock the jaws of the wrench adjusted.

With the above and other objects in view the improvement resides in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in thefollowing specification and falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view illustrating a wrench or the like provided With myimprovement,

Fig. 2 is a similar View but illustrating the arrangement of parts whenthe jaws of the wrench are adjusted to their spread position,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the locking plate, and

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the jaw provided with the angular slot.

In carrying out my invention I provide a wrench or the like comprisingtwo members each including a jaw 1 and a handle 2. The members overlapeach other at the junction of the body portions 8 thereof between thejaws and handles, and the body portion 3 of one of the members isadapted to contact with the shoulder 4: provided upon the inner edge ofthe jaw 1 of the other member.' The body 3 of the member provided withthe shoulder at and at a suitable distance from the said shoulder hasarranged thereon a headed pintle 5 which has its shank passing throughan elongated slot 6 in the body 3 of the other member. By reference toFig. 5 of the drawings, it will be noted that the slot 6, at what may betermed the outer end thereof is provided with an angular portion 6. Theother member, which for distinction is indicated by the numeral 7 hasarranged upon its outer face a plate 8, the said plate having one of itsends pivotally connected with the said member 7 through the medium ofthe headed pintle 5 and the said headed pintle is preferably in thenature of a removable member. The plate 8 is shaped to correspond withthe body 3 of the member 7 and has its free end reduced and providedwith a knob 9. The body of the plate is approximately centrally formedwith a substantially B-shaped opening 10, the finger 11, between theslots 12 and 13 of the said B-shaped opening terminating a suitabledistance from one of the longitudinal Walls provided by the openinwhereby a passage is provided for the shank of a headed pintle l-l. Theslot 12, which is nearest the pivot ot' the plate 8 is of a less depththan the slot 13 and the finger 11 between the said slots is of asufficient strength to withstand the strain to which the wrench will besubjected.

In operation the plate 8 is swung upon its pivot to bring the pintle 14cin a line with the elongated passage of the substantially B-shapedopening, the member 7 moved longitudinally on the other member of thewrench so that the member ll is brought to aline with either of theslots 12 or 13 in the plate 8, when the said plate can be swung over thebody 3 of the memher 7 and the frictional engagement between the saidplate and the said member will hold the plate locked thereon and thejaws of the wrench properly adjusted. If de sired, the inner end of theplate opposite the knob 9 thereof may be formed with an inturned portion9 whereby the friction between the same, the jaw 3 of the member 7 andthe head of the member 1% will positively insure the locking of theplate upon the member 7.

The angular arrangement of the slots (3 and (3 within which the pintle 5plays is an important feature of the invention, as the said arrangementpermits of all of the strain coming on the joint of the pintle or rivet5 when the w rench is adjusted to its greatest open position, as lateralmotion is prevented the jaws of the wrench and thus the strain upon thelocking plate is relieved. V hen the wrench is adjusted to its otherposition, the pull is against the bottom of the slot 6 and the pintle,so that no strain will be inflicted upon the locking plate.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a wrench or the like, two members having lapping body portions, aheaded pintle connecting the members and passing through an angular slotin one of the members, a plate pivotally connected to the outer face ofone of the said members by the said pintle, said plate being centrallyprovided with a substantially Bshaped opening and having its free endprovided with an out turned knob, one of the slots of the B-shapedopening being of a greater depth than the other and the member providedwith the plate having a headed stud received in the said B-shaped slot,as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a *rench or the like, two members having lapping body port-ions, aheaded pintle connecting the members and passing through an angular slotin one of the members, a plate pivotally connected to the outer face ofone of said members by the said pintle, said plate being shaped tocorrespond with the body portion of the member to which it is connectedand having its free end upon its outer face provided with an outturnedknob and being provided with a projection upon its inner face oppositethe said knob, said plate having a B-shaped opening, providing a fingerbetween the slots in the said opening. one of the transverse slots ofwhich is of a greater depth than the other and the finger between theslots terminating a distance from the longitudinal wall provided by theopening, and the member provided with the plate having a headed studreceived in the said B-shaped slot, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

YANCY M. BLEDSOE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patent:, Washington, D. C.

